The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Goodreads
320 pages, YA Contemporary
Standalone
My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My 2 cents

First of all, this book was not was I was expecting at all. I was expecting more of a contemporary feel, with maybe a little romance and self discovery. I got all those things, plus more! This had a good mystery at the center of it, and I can't resist a good mystery!

"Sissy" and her family have been in hiding with the Witness Protection Program for over a year. Its Sissy (real name Anna) and her little sister "Teeny", her strong and capable dad, and her recent alcoholic mother. They have moved around way more than is normal, and the book starts with them at small new town in Louisana. Her given identity in this town is "Meg" and her sister is "Mary."

Meg has no idea why they are in Witness Protection. Her parents won't tell her anything, so she assumes her dad got mixed up in something bad. She's tired of getting yanked from town to town just when she is making friends, so she's decided this time she is not making any friends, and she is going to find out the truth about her dad.

Things don't go well from the start--Meg meets Ethan, who sees right through her. Even though she vows she's not going to fall for him, he pretty much calls her bluff. I loved Ethan, and he was definitely the bright spots in the story for me. The dynamic between him and Meg was perfect.

The mystery element of it had me turning the pages (or "flipping" the pages on my Nook) without stopping. The suspense is really well done, with the author giving us just enough to have us worried, but not enough to know what's really going on. Loved that!

I loved reading this story, but after I finished, and started to really think on it, I realized how unrealistic a lot of things were in the book. I left my rating at 4 stars, though, because I really enjoyed the read!